Apple M4 With A ‘4 + 6’ Configuration Gets Spotted In First Geekbench 6 Benchmark Leak, Revealing Slightly Lowered Clock Speeds Than M3

Qualcomm is expected to switch to its custom Oryon cores when it officially announces the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. A company executive claimed that the flagship SoC would be unveiled in October, making it the first silicon from the San Diego firm to transition to in-house CPU designs completely. However, this shift could cost Qualcomm’s partners a hefty sum, as one tipster claims that the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 will be expensive, and phone makers will have to evaluate the overall configuration of their devices to sell them at competitive prices.

The 13-inch M4 iPad Pro measures just 5.1mm in thickness and is marketed as Apple’s thinnest product yet. However, the obvious concern that potential buyers would have is how durable it would be over long-term use, and while Apple’s executives have attempted to put people’s worries to rest by stating that a protective cowling provides structural rigidity to the latest tablet, a new bend test reveals a different story. However, what is interesting to note is that the larger iPad Pro breaks from the charging position, not from the center, as Apple added the ‘central spine’ there to increase the slate’s durability.

Apple has maintained its iron grip in the ARM chipset space, particularly in the single-core department, when it was reported that the M4 completely dominated the Geekbench 6 charts. Unfortunately, some individuals are just not satisfied with these results and have gone to great lengths to ensure that the latest iPad Pro models attain a record that will take a while to be broken, and that is achieving 4,000 points in the benchmarking application. As for how Apple’s latest flagship tablet achieved this figure, all it took was a little help from liquid nitrogen.

The M4 running in Apple’s latest 11-inch and 13-inch iPad Pro models is available in a 9-core and 10-core CPU option. We did report about the top-end version’s performance, and we were thoroughly impressed as it ran circles around the M2 and M3 and maintained a solid lead against the M3 Pro and Snapdragon X Elite. However, how well does the base variant perform, which has one performance core less than the top-tier version? In the latest benchmark, we find that there is little difference between them, but there will always be consumers who want the latest and greatest.

The latest 11-inch and 13-inch M4 iPad Pro models measure 5.3mm and 5.1mm, respectively, making them the thinnest Apple products ever. The company likely attained this by switching over to Tandem OLED technology, which does not need its own backlighting and has individual pixels, allowing Apple to reduce the overall thickness. However, while there is no question that the latest iPad Pro models are design marvels, their extra sleekness can result in another ‘bendgate’ controversy, but a company executive has assured potential buyers that they have little to worry about.

The latest 11-inch and 13-inch M4 iPad Pro models are equipped with Tandem OLED technology, making them the first consumer products to be equipped with such panels. The obvious benefits include higher brightness and richer colors, and perhaps the biggest perk of using an OLED apart from the battery life improvements is the longer lifespan of the displays. However, users may not appreciate that the addition of Tandem OLED actually results in worse battery life compared to the M1 version with mini-LED, at least according to the latest tests.

Google is expected to unveil the Tensor G4 later this year for the Pixel 9 lineup, and just like its previous releases, the company is likely sticking with Samsung as its foundry partner. However, next year, the advertising giant is said to take a different direction, with its Pixel 10 range apparently featuring a 3nm SoC from TSMC. To help with the transition, Google is rumored to have expanded its Taiwanese R&D center, where it is expected to collaborate closely with the semiconductor giant to produce its best silicon to date.

Apple officially discontinued its entire iPod range in 2022, leaving behind memories of a revolutionary product that strongly impacted the music and technology industry. It made little sense to continue selling these devices, as the company giant was selling iPhones in the millions, and its handsets could pretty much do everything the iPod could and more. However, there was a time when Microsoft founder Bill Gates was not so optimistic about Apple’s future with its music player family, stating that it could not sustain the iPod’s success, but there was a reason for these bold claims, as you will soon find out.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 is expected to be announced in October this year, but with a few modifications, as an earlier rumor claimed that Qualcomm will adjust its frequency to reach 4.26GHz, possibly to obtain an advantage against Apple and its upcoming A18 chipsets. However, based on a recent discussion, it appears that these changes are only being done so Qualcomm can have an edge against its rival in Geekbench, with potentially little to no benefit in real-world applications.

The Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 design was previously said to be finalized in April this year, with a target frequency of 4.00GHz and above. However, looking at Apple’s M4 and its high clock speeds that help the chipset attain a record-breaking single-core score, Qualcomm is rumored to introduce a chipset redesign with a new target frequency of 4.26GHz. This change is said to be made to take on Apple’s upcoming A18 and A18 Pro, which may also operate at higher frequencies to gain an edge against the competition.

The ‘less than stellar’ demand for the Apple Vision Pro has caused shipment estimates to drop to 400,000 to 450,000 units for 2024, a massive drop compared to the previous 800,000 estimates. Consumers are discouraged from making the AR headset their daily driver thanks to its ludicrous starting price of $3,499, and even though Apple intends to launch the device overseas, its ‘expensive’ problem is yet to be addressed. Fortunately, the company might overcome this hurdle with the Apple Vision Pro 2, with a rumor claiming that the successor will have a starting price of $1,500 and will add two new suppliers, Samsung and SeeYa, to the list.

The M4 was officially announced during Apple’s ‘Let Loose’ event, with the company praising the 10-core CPU version in droves. What thoroughly impressed us was when we reported that the latest chipset beat the M3 and M2 comprehensively while also managing a healthy lead against the M3 Pro and Snapdragon X Elite.